Railway-track skate



April 13 1926.

R. E. MCGAHEY RAILWAY TRACK SKATE 5 sheets-sheet 1 Filed Augusr. 28, 1925 Hq a M I Lw b. au

April 13 1926.

R. E. MCGAHEY RAILWAY TRACK SKATE Filed August 28, 1925 3 SheetsSheeh 2 April 13 1926.

R. E. MCGAHEY RAILWAY TRACK SKATE Filed August 28, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Apr. 13, 1926.

ROBERT E. MOGAHEY, OF ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA.

RAILWAY-TRACK SKATE.

Application filed August 28, 1925. Serial No. 53,142.

To all whom it may concern Alexandria, in the State of a citizen of the United States, residing at n Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Track Sk ates, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to railway track skates and has for an object to provide a tra-ck skate, the movement of which from inoperative to operative, or operative to inoperative position may be controlled from a distant point, and with improved means for maintaining it against displ operative position.

A further object of the invention is to provide improved connection between the stationary parts and the skate proper providing for release of the skat acemeiit in in-v Y l skate retaining arm.

e from the stationary parts when the skate is engaged by a moving car.

A further object of the invention is to provide improved means resident with the skate itself for releasing the car from its 25 position upon the skate when it has come to rest, such releasing means including an incline properly positioned and proportioned to employ the force of backward off from the skate.

gravity to roll the car A further object of the invention is to piovide'improved means for notifying'the operator at a distant point when the skate is properly in operative pos rail.

ition upon the ments and functions as di sclosed in the drawings together with mechanical and functional equivalents thereof as will be hereinafter claimed.

In the drawings: Figure l is a view of the more fully described and track skate in stallation in end elevation mounted upon a rail shown in transverse section.

Figure 2 is a top plan v stallation similarly located.

iew of the in- Figure 3 is a view in side elevationY of the skate member, parts bein to show the sand chamber.

g broken away vular type of operating device.

Figure 4 is a view of the skate proper in top plan. v

F igure is a view of the skate in end elevation seen from the end indicated by arrow at Figure 4. i

Figure 6 is a view in side elevation of the hinged, s :ate operating member. l

Figure 7 is a lview in top plan of the hinged member as indicated by arrow 7 of Figure Figure 8 is a viewl of the hinged member in end elevationas indicated by arrow 8 of Figure 6.

Figure 9 is a view in side 'elevation of the Figure l() is a view of the skate retaining'arm in side elevation as indicated ,by arrow l0 of Figure 9.

Figure ll is a view in top plan of the skate'retaining arm as indicated by arrow 1l of Figure 9.

Figure l2 is a diagrammatic view showing the movement of the car when rolling down the incline of the skatev for releasing the skate aftery bringing the car to rest.

Like characters of reference indicate cor-V responding parts throughout the several views.

The skate installation which forms the subject matter of this application is adapted to be associated with a railroad rail 20. It is connected with the railV by means of the base plate 21 which is rigidly secured to the rail and carries spaced away from the v.

rail some. forni of power apparatus' representedconventionally by the cylinder 22 with a. piston 23 but it is to be understood that, while this is an approved type of operating means, it is by no means the only type which may be employed and the invention is in no way limited to this partic- Rigidly secured to the rail also are similar brackets 24 and 25 between which are pivoted the hinged block 26, preferably by means of trunnions 27 formed upon and preferably integral with said block 26. This block 26 is adapted to be oscillated upon its hinges represented by the trunnions 27 .from the power means through the linedium of an offset 28 which'pivotally engages with the link 29 from the piston 23,

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'lhe block 26 is provided with a tapered dovet/ailed slot SO, the Open end of which slot is in the direction in which the skate will move under the impetus of the car engaging thereon.

The skate proper comprises a body 31 having an abutment 32 against which the car wheel engages, such car wheel being represented at Figures 3 and 12 at 33. 1t will be noted that in the engagement of the car wheel 33 against this abutment 32, the wheel must roll up :an incline 3l where on it remains so long as the car is in motion and moving the skate along the track. This movement of the skate along the track under the impetus of the moving car vreleases the skate from the hinged block 2G. The engagement between the two comprises a dove-tailed rib 35 upon the side of the skate with preferably an inclined overhang 36. rEhe skate is also provided with flanges 3'? 'and 38, the former of which extends the entire length of the skate vand moves 'preferably upon the outer side of the rail, while the latter is cut short as indicated at S9 to accommodate the tiange of the wheel upon the inner side of the rail. A short, thin, tapered, flange section Ll() continues the flanges 38, being of such size and proportion and also so positioned as not to interfere with the movement of the car, the flange of the wheel sliding along the side of this narrow section.

It is well understood, of course, when a car strikes the skate when in operative position, it moves away from the positioning structure and must be manually r-eturned to posit-ion. For this purpose, a handle el isprovided forming no partof the essential operativcness of the skate but adding to its convenience in operation. Also, for the purpose of increasing the frictional resistance of the skate upon the rail and therefore bringing the car to a stop qui-ckeigthe skate is provided with a chamber 4t2 which may be Jtilled with sand through the opening a3, an outlet le being provided to permit the sand to run from the chamber 212 on to the top of the rail 2O.

Upon the base plate 21 is erected a support or strut -15 which maintains the skateJ in approximately horizontal position when in inoperative position as indicated at Figures 1 and 2. To prevent the displacement of thc skate from'the hinged block 26 when in this position, an arm 4:6 is rigidly secured to the base plate as by the foote7, the upper end being bent as indicated more particularly at Figure 9 so that, when in position as indicated at Figures 1 and 2, the skate will engage against the extremity 418 before it can be removed from the block 2G.

By this means, when the skate is off the rail and in inoperative position, it can not be removed purposely or accidentally from the installation and is, therefore, always found in proper position to be operated when occasion requires.

To enable the tower man or the person operating the device from a distant point to ascertain whether or not the skate is in proper position upon the rail, a light 0r other signaling device indicated at 49 is located in the tower indicated conventional ly. at 50. rihe piston 23 carries a conductor 51 sliding through the guide 52. lt also carries Contact bloei 58 and an insulating block 54. A spring contact is in position to engage either of the blocks 53 or 5ft according to the position of the piston 23 which will control the position of the conductor 51. l{'Vhen the Vspring contact 55 is in engagement with the contact block 53, l

current will pass through the conductor 51 and guide 52, wire 5G, battery 57 to light, returning through the wire 58 to the spring contact 55. TWhile the skate is in inoperative position, the light 49 remains dark but, when the Vs rate moved to operative position, the light e9 is lighted which will indicate to the operator that the skate is in pro ier position upon the rail.

ln operation, the skate will normally remain in inoperative position but, when for any purpose it is desirable or necessary to throw the skate in the path of movement of Vthe car, the operator at the distant point controlling the movement of the car actuales the necessary mechanism for energizing the power apparatus which will move in the direction indicated by the arrow on the link y25) in Figure 1, tending to throw the hinged block 26 upwardly and therewith the skate 31 carried thereby. lilith the skate positioned Vupon the rail, it is free to leave the hinged block 26 when'engagcd by and moving with the car, the hinged block remaining as a part of the operating structure.

The car now moves forward pushing the skate in the usual well known manner until the frictional resistances have brought the car to rest, whereupon, by reason of the incline of the skate, the car rolls backv-:ard-

ly from that attained position oit' of the end of the skate which may now be manually removed from its position upon the rail without the necessity of applying force to the car to move it backwardly to release it from the skate as is ordinarily the case. r1`he automatic release of the car from its position upon the skate adds very greatly to the facility with which the device may be operated.

That I claim to be new is:

1. A track skate installation comprising in association with a rail, a member hinged permanently relative to the rail, means to oscillate the hinged member, an all rigid skate 4slidebly connected with the hinged member properly proportioned to be moved with said hinged member to a position upon the top of llO the rail and to an inoperative position beside the rail and a rigid abutment engaging the skate in inoperative position and locking said skate against displacement.

2. A track skate installation comprising, in combination with a rail, a member hinged permanently at one side of and oscillating in an arc transverse to the rail, means to os cillate t-he hinged member, an all rigid skate slidably associated with and adapted to be disconnected from said hinged member and an abutment rigid With the rail against which the skate lockingly engages at times,

3. A track skate installation comprising, in combination with a rail, a block hinged at one side of the rail and provided with a guide, means to actuate the block to swing it toward and away from the rail, an all rigid skate member having an interacting sliding connection with the guide and adapted to move with the hinged block and a rigid abutment against which the skate at times engages to prevent sliding movement.

ll. A track skate installation comprising, in combination with a rail, ablock hinged at one side of and adapted to oscillate toward and away from the rail and provided With a dove-tailed slot having at one end a dove-tailed slot and against the shoulder and through such connection to move with the 'lock to and from operative position upon the rail and to be released from said connection by the sliding movement of the skate away :trom the shoulder.

5. A track skate comprising` a body having means for association with a rail, means for slidable connection with an yoperating member adjacent the rail, andv an inclined car Wheel seat upon the normal top of said skate positioned at such angle as to cause the car to roll backwardly ofi otsaid incline through the force of gravity.

6. A. track skate comprisinga body having means for sliding association With a rail, an abutment positioned to be engaged by a moving car wheel and to cause the skate to slide along the rail by the. momentum of the car, said skate being provided with an ineline upon which the car Wheel rests during such movement, said'incline being of such angle as to cause the car to roll backivardly off of'said incline after coming to a rest.

In testimony whereof I atlix my signature.

ROBERT E. MCGAHEY. 

